How many suspended push-ups should you start with?

Own 25 push-ups and a two-minute plank before your feet go in the straps. Start with three sets of 6 to 8 reps with the straps low, at shin height or below. Add reps until you reach 12, then raise the strap height one notch, which is a bigger jump in difficulty than it looks on paper.

What can I use instead of a suspension trainer for the suspended push-up?

A decline push-up with your feet on a chair or a low box gives the same angle without the instability, and it is the sensible starting point anyway. To add wobble, put your feet on a stability ball or your hands on low gymnastic rings. A feet-elevated push-up with a slow three-second descent covers most of the benefit if you have nothing else.

What is the suspended push-up good for, and who should avoid it?

It shifts the press toward the upper chest and makes the abs work as a full-time stabilizer, which suits advanced trainees and anyone building core control for gymnastics or field sport. It is a poor choice for chest size, because instability caps the load long before the chest is finished. Avoid it if your wrists hurt in a plank or your low back sags once the feet leave the floor.

Advanced

Suspended Push-Up

Placing your feet in the straps elevates them like a decline push-up while the swinging anchor forces your core and shoulders to fight constant instability. That combination shifts load toward the upper chest and turns your abs into a full-time stabilizer that resists sagging and rotation. Reserve it for lifters with a solid plank and push-up who want a demanding anti-instability chest challenge.

Equipment: TRX
Body part: Chest
Type: Balance, Strength
Browse by muscle: Pectoralis Major Sternocostal
Browse by movement: Horizontal Press

How to do it

1
Set the suspension straps to about shin height and place the tops of your feet into the loops.
2
Walk your hands out into a plank with hands under your shoulders and body in a straight line.
3
Brace hard against the wobble and lower your chest toward the floor under control.
4
Press back up to lockout without letting your feet swing or your hips drop.
5
Keep your midsection rigid the entire set to steady the straps.

Tips

Squeeze your glutes and abs to lock the hips; any sag or swing means you need to slow down.
Set the straps lower to reduce the decline angle and difficulty while you adapt.
Keep your hands firmly planted so the moving base loads the core rather than the wrists.

Variations

Common mistakes

Getting into position is treated as the easy part, and the feet are dropped into the loops from a standing bend, which is where most of the falls happen.
The straps get set high enough that the hips sit above the shoulders, turning it into a steep angle the shoulders are not ready to press from.
Hands creep out ahead of the shoulders to steady the wobble, lengthening the lever and putting the strain on the front of the shoulder.
The feet swing forward and back in time with the reps, which means the abs are along for the ride rather than stopping the movement.
Depth gets cut short because the straps feel unsteady, so the set becomes a series of quarter presses that neither the chest nor the core works for.

Frequently asked

How many suspended push-ups should you start with?: Own 25 push-ups and a two-minute plank before your feet go in the straps. Start with three sets of 6 to 8 reps with the straps low, at shin height or below. Add reps until you reach 12, then raise the strap height one notch, which is a bigger jump in difficulty than it looks on paper.
What can I use instead of a suspension trainer for the suspended push-up?: A decline push-up with your feet on a chair or a low box gives the same angle without the instability, and it is the sensible starting point anyway. To add wobble, put your feet on a stability ball or your hands on low gymnastic rings. A feet-elevated push-up with a slow three-second descent covers most of the benefit if you have nothing else.
What is the suspended push-up good for, and who should avoid it?: It shifts the press toward the upper chest and makes the abs work as a full-time stabilizer, which suits advanced trainees and anyone building core control for gymnastics or field sport. It is a poor choice for chest size, because instability caps the load long before the chest is finished. Avoid it if your wrists hurt in a plank or your low back sags once the feet leave the floor.

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